By Kayla Hallac and Peyton Dickerson, Online Editors-in-Chief
Tatum Love brightens every room she enters. With her contagious laugh and kind nature, it’s no wonder she is beloved by her friends and family.
“Tatum is the most energetic person I know and she just clicks with absolutely anyone, even if she doesn’t know them that well,” junior Joey Krieg said. “She always knows how to make you feel better and she gives such good hugs.”
Now the community is rallying around the First Flight High School junior in the aftermath of a shocking accident that put Love in the hospital fighting for her life instead of swimming, playing lacrosse and hanging out with friends. In a Friday afternoon update shared on the CaringBridge website, Love was said to be in critical but stable condition – but breathing on her own.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, at approximately 6:27 p.m, Love and two of her friends were traveling south in a Jeep Wrangler in the left lane of US 158. In a news release from the Kill Devil Hills Police Department shared with Nighthawk News, police said a Volvo SUV headed west on East Palmetto Street made a left turn onto the bypass without coming to a complete stop at the intersection. The report stated that the Volvo SUV collided with the Jeep Wrangler while entering the southbound travel lane, causing the Jeep to flip approximately six times.
Love’s two friends – who have not been publicly identified by police because they are under the age of 18 – were both secured by seat belts and didn’t suffer any serious injuries. Love, seated in the back of the vehicle, was not secured by a seat belt. This resulted in her being ejected from the vehicle, the police report explained, with the 16-year-old sustaining life-threatening injuries and being transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Students, staff and community members learned of the accident that night and throughout the next day. On Thursday, Duck United Methodist Church’s youth group planned a prayer circle at the Aviation Park skating rink in Kill Devil Hills in support of Love’s recovery.
“We were talking about everything, and how some kids weren’t able to visit her in the hospital,” youth group leader Amy Denson said. “Everyone tries to look for something to do when things like this happen, so everyone decided to get together and pray, and we planned it really quickly.”
Denson was able to pull off the event with roughly 75 people in attendance. Since those attending wore masks and were able to be spaced apart outside, the prayer vigil was able to take place even with COVID-19 concerns still rampant. Photos of the event were posted at NighthawkNews.com as Love’s newspaper classmates also come to grips with the accident.
“It’s horrible when bad things happen, but I’ve never lived in a better place where people come to support each other when bad things do happen,” Denson said. “It’s awesome to see how we bond together.”
Those bonds can be seen everywhere, from the “Love is Strong” message on the FFHS sign to a rival lacrosse team. Five hours away in Newport, Croatan High School’s lacrosse team created several posters in support of Love’s recovery after receiving word of Wednesday’s canceled game with First Flight.
Pictures of the posters were posted to the FFHS Facebook page and on Instagram via @croatan_girls_lacrosse and were shared myriad times in support of Love. FFHS Athletic Director Chad Williams was touched by the gesture, posting about it on the First Flight athletics Twitter account and stating “THIS is what high school sports is all about. THIS is why we do what we do.”
It’s not just the community as a whole that’s rooting for Love’s recovery. Several of her close friends have traveled to Norfolk to stay at a hotel near the hospital.
“We came here the morning after the accident,” junior Fiona McKenna said. “It’s nice to be here and know that if anything happens we can be there as soon as possible.”
McKenna has expressed her tremendous devotion to Love throughout the past few days. She started a GoFundMe page for Love’s family in support of medical bills that, in just two days, has raised over $80,000. McKenna has raised the goal twice after the outpouring of support from more than 1,300 donors.
“Medical bills are the last thing the Love family should be concerned about. Any donation helps. Please keep sweet Tatum in your prayers,” McKenna wrote in the GoFundMe description.
McKenna also created and manages the CaringBridge site under the name @tatumthelovefamily so people can view posts regarding Love’s progress.
For now, the Outer Banks community continues to show its love for Tatum and her family through this difficult time.
“She’s a beautiful woman and so kind and someone that you can tell anything to,” recent graduate Erin Bembridge said. “The unconditional support comes from the impact Tatum leaves on everyone. She just has the bright, bubbly personality that makes that impact.”
Junior Kayla Hallac can be reached at 22hallacka85@daretolearn.org. Senior Peyton Dickerson can be reached at 21dickersonpe28@daretolearn.org.
